[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87,99],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6195589,"mediaKeyId","3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297","parentId",3860967,"title","Leader Donato seeks changes to absentee-voter disability language and political designation rules","audioSeconds",194,"startMs",602000,"endMs",796000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297&start=602&end=796","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297/thumbnail_602000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6195589/Massachusetts/Leader-Donato-seeks-changes-to-absentee-voter-disability-language-and-political-designation-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195589-723c6aec7e0583a8cbef2f7757647bc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1769849063&Signature=Sv6L1eaBeq3IJPusw5ifr0~iLrrIuhkiSt37ro98w9ZcIHP6hoy9WNuzfFvqc-SKM23HRDGZaiUNsGfs2MABLIKH82-7hxlvG~ocmuNpHRZ3XbxenmPXE5~4ICFPZQ9FvAhWs76tndejy59~eumtHjgSby1n4P50-PGET4hdBhRj3ewjM3ZzdQJ9ld9IYE2TcRjpWFbjp7keG0v5Ef5T0pPe4bytlhfw31D4SkMYUu7Pbv36jt7kJ5cgLAuAPND4l7EqJMrfsCzV~1AR15F0hV788Nn~EE3ZTflb-8qKfPasXYcCyoTxkg25U8VeefF03wee9il0WXJJOAl~8LWwJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-06-17T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Leader Donato told the Joint Committee on Election Laws he supports two bills: H.822, which would amend the absentee‑voting law by removing the word “physical” from the disability requirement in the statute cited by the committee, and H.824, which would change how political designations are created and maintained.

On H.822, Donato said the Massachusetts Office on Disability and regional disability‑rights offices have determined that the current statutory wording is inconsistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and could be subject to litigation; deleting the word “physical” would broaden eligibility consistent with federal disability protections.

On H.824, Donato described the current threshold for establishing a political designation as 50 registered‑voter signatures and said that low threshold has produced more than 25 political designations in Massachusetts, many with very small registration totals. The bill would require 500 signatures to create a designation and would create an administrative dissolution process if a designation fails to register at least 1% of total registered voters within two years.

Donato said the change would reduce proliferation of minor designations and add a mechanism for dissolution when a designation no longer maintains a minimum level of support.

Committee members did not vote on either bill at the hearing; supporters filed written testimony for the record and the committee invited further review and deliberation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Election Laws\t6/17/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Leader Donato told the Joint Committee on Election Laws he supports H.822 to remove the word “physical” from the absentee-voter disability definition and H.824 to raise the threshold for creating political designations from 50 to 500 signatures and allow administrative dissolution if thresholds are not met.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195593,"Witnesses press for accountability on spoiled ballots after contested Raleigh recount",288,1337000,1625000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297&start=1337&end=1625","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297/thumbnail_1337000.jpg","/articles/6195593/Massachusetts/Witnesses-press-for-accountability-on-spoiled-ballots-after-contested-Raleigh-recount","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195593-a7ff3bfe1f9de65f9d4c7f382b5d574b/orig.mp4?Expires=1769849063&Signature=IyV~1faRA8L~3UT9clrh87BM08kk8CtLWftv95gYsss3V9t~~lAZNX~rwriv5G3FOZ2Vb4uBNtDoHKC4sdX8YmMHahLGXyPw~TFX9SBdkiHPLb5rtJW9O6Bqto--fm~qd2WqePcioNIxC111t-OT~flcYarLdV6YZe2Q8kLkpFtDWM8pHFEquHmG8lxxI7TRF~R5uFCn~pNqhhSrOS4GOXaFbB24GqGwEvYUqZIW58K30Hz2o6qh-8R4DlYZf6Qyu4GHo8hLyb0Nzwh--L-6TeKbPE4Y4sB4suUyUHKNbVbi5wwuu0mhwwbDVDbgGi6h7pvibIqXmx8EpcM-ia4HdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Former state representative Lenny Mara and witnesses described events from a contested municipal election in which they say legally cast mail‑in ballots were marked spoiled and were not counted during a recount, and they urged the committee to advance S.536 to increase accountability for spoiled ballots.

Sandra Capo, who testified she is Mara’s sister and was present during the recount, described a 2022 municipal recount in which dozens of mail ballots that had been rejected by tabulators were marked “spoiled.” Capo said those ballots were not hand‑counted at the recount and that attorneys for the successful candidate were allowed to retrieve and submit a small set of disputed spoiled ballots for review. She cited Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 54, Section 103, noting that court jurisdiction for ordering improperly rejected ballots to be counted is limited to the Superior or Supreme Judicial Court.

Capo described an attempt to seek court review, saying a judge initially demanded delivery of contested ballots but then declined jurisdiction and the House special committee later declined to investigate; she said the outcome left ballots uncounted and voters potentially disenfranchised.

S.536, supporters said, would amend the statute governing spoiled ballots to require a record of the number of spoiled ballots and the reasons they were spoiled, and to make that documentation available for public inspection. Proponents said such documentation would make it easier to identify improperly spoiled ballots and would help courts and investigators focus on ballots in dispute.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about procedures at the recount, including how many ballots were reviewed and how decisions were made about which spoiled ballots could be inspected during the recount. Witnesses said procedures appeared inconsistent and that some poll workers leading the recount exercised discretionary judgments without clear standards.

No committee vote was taken; proponents provided written testimony and asked the committee to consider S.536 as a way to reduce the risk that legally cast ballots are discarded without an adequate record or remedy.","Supporters of S.536 told the committee that current rules and local practice can lead to lawful ballots being marked spoiled and never counted, and they seek requirements for recording and public inspection of spoiled-ballot records to aid investigations and prevent disenfranchisement.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195599,"Randolph officials, residents ask Legislature to permit Haitian Creole bilingual ballots",1743,484000,2227000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297&start=484&end=2227","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297/thumbnail_484000.jpg","/articles/6195599/Massachusetts/Randolph-officials-residents-ask-Legislature-to-permit-Haitian-Creole-bilingual-ballots","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195599-436cc5f57ac54ab1c1af88228e81a1ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1769849063&Signature=AraqiVTjRd2q0kpdoup2Lo5dCuDFZkgrgkb4w9Jjva10SfzyVvgOTAK94hraSHbzIhtssRFd38MpbOyiUZ0F0hNr274v0UZvwoKfINcrj6cW~0Qujlf3XVYK~8JU56QTOZHz4vXSzU90t8~IfrZRa90pC8hjZgTRkZbFCRbKNAKOgXCMK5qYDxE12ptxk5f2QMjO4rWPqso6iRObAW9rBVN85aRyJwmwleZlDbvaMdMjGytG-yqIEFIAo4IA095Mk4HaTfheSVJceHryoFD~633DHituIZElv8LJ9FrF7OcpSOh~W6Uh2L0-QoxgSrqbMlG51XoQOOhQst3W0RJkaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Bill Driscoll asked the Joint Committee on Election Laws to report favorably on S.509, a home-rule petition to allow the town of Randolph to prepare bilingual ballots in English and Haitian Creole.

“Randolph is one of the most diverse towns in the Commonwealth, and Haitian Creole is a growing language in the community,” Senator Driscoll said, asking the committee to advance the measure to “make Randolph elections more inclusive and to foster deeper civic engagement.”

Brian Howard, the Randolph town manager, told the committee Randolph has “35,000-plus residents” and currently provides Vietnamese ballot translations under federal Voting Rights Act Section 203 but does not yet include Haitian Creole. Howard said bilingual ballots would help non‑English speakers “participate meaningfully in the election process,” reduce confusion over voting instructions and could increase turnout; he referenced a study that translated ballots can increase local turnout by about 10%.

Councilor Lehi Larman said the Randolph Town Council unanimously supported the home-rule petition and framed the change as both a legal and moral imperative: “We want to make sure all of our residents in the town of Randolph have the opportunity to be heard and seen.”

Community members and advocates testified that language access is also a practical problem: Heather Ho, co‑founder of Randolph Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coalition and board member of Randolph Community Partnership, said Randolph’s English-as-a-Second-Language wait list exceeds 300 people, limiting the ability of new arrivals to gain language proficiency before elections. Dr. Yolett Ebakate, a Haitian American resident, said providing ballots in Haitian Creole affirms civic belonging and removes a barrier to participation.

Witnesses described current accommodations—language lines, bilingual poll workers, and the ability for a voter to bring an assistant into the booth—but said those resources are not a full substitute for a bilingual ballot. Town officials said recruiting bipartisan poll workers with Creole language skills is difficult.

Committee members did not act on S.509 at the hearing; the committee invited written testimony and said members may follow up with municipal officials on implementation details, including translation standards and ballot layout.

Supporters asked for a favorable report and for the Legislature to move quickly so Randolph can implement bilingual ballots for future elections.","Town officials, councilors and community members from Randolph urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to approve S.509 to allow bilingual (English/Haitian Creole) ballots in Randolph, citing population diversity, ESL wait lists and barriers to participation.",{"_32":100,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":101,"_40":102,"_42":103,"_44":104,"_46":105,"_48":106,"_50":107,"_52":108,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":109,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":110,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195603,"Senator Rausch pushes broad elections infrastructure upgrades to ease municipal burden",236,820000,1056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297&start=820&end=1056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3860967-cc981a44b6d4f628c5024717c2e7f297/thumbnail_820000.jpg","/articles/6195603/Massachusetts/Senator-Rausch-pushes-broad-elections-infrastructure-upgrades-to-ease-municipal-burden","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195603-5470c9b16f5936ee71d60c7177a882eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1769849063&Signature=V5MViKFWcnzGVVW~0OheYL1PglTKd6dzhs-V4Ri4VMllUwBeKH1SiqKxCdPaBa1-yeOr3FJDzHWDqC7dbdmGYKFke3LePdQBXBdEmZrnfNBmgv1xINLKdN2i7-BX1AIuQ8PP3kezBqVkTBybPcIDSuUi8iP60oYjOXAGItnvf4OQcl7NYMA1Zi3jwgNJVpScEMlo1zf-A1Q3daF-2qI~PxokdYhxdc~oIoeYAC25VV748V8z3uqAAPFLxp8ooO6OT2YLumG59oTt4IGcPzWuWpK614DuAw67f3J6DcriHltf~CK~RqvALPoFcSIlGz3DkjPqRFw86zOkToGlYEmMIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Rausch urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to give a favorable report to S.534, an “Upgrades Act” he described as aimed at upgrading elections infrastructure, improving voting access and reducing municipal burden.

Rausch told the committee the bill would centralize digital reporting of preliminary results, move the voter registration deadline that sometimes falls on a Saturday, shift the primary date to a more stable time, enable use of digital voter lists at polling places, and change early-voting and ballot-processing rules to reduce costs and confusion for cities and towns.

“The proof is in the pudding as we see widespread departure of town and city clerks statewide,” Senator Rausch said. “We have voter confusion. We have massive wastes of money. We have a ridiculous burden on municipal budgets.”

Town clerks, represented by Tom Joyce, counsel to the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association, and Ben Kaufman, town clerk of Brookline and chair of the MTCA Legislative Committee, told the committee clerks can advise how proposed changes would work in practice and urged lawmakers to consult local administrators during drafting. “The MTCA is here. We are ready, willing, and able to provide advice, share our knowledge, and offer expertise on the nuances of elections administration,” Ben Kaufman said.

Emma Chinman, coalition manager for Partners in Democracy, said S.534 and related bills would modernize outdated rules and remove barriers for voters, and she urged the committee to advance reforms that ensure “voting should be easy, efficient, and equitable.”

Proponents described specific provisions intended to reduce municipal labor and costs: eliminating a second envelope for permanent-mail voters, prohibiting use of a secretary of state’s personal image or materials in polling-place materials except as a candidate listing, and requiring linguistically competent outreach in even-numbered years. Rausch also said the bill would adjust the ballot-return deadline so slow mail does not disenfranchise voters and require technological upgrades that allow digital rolls at polling places.

Committee members did not take a vote on the bills during the hearing. Supporters said the changes would need further technical review with clerks and local officials to identify implementation details and avoid unintended consequences.

The hearing continued with public testimony and written submissions were invited for the record.","Sen. Rausch and local election officials told the Joint Committee on Election Laws that S.534 would centralize digital reporting, move key deadlines and modernize voter lists to reduce municipal costs and confusion and to improve access for voters.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Leader Donato seeks changes to absentee-voter disability language and political designation rules

Witnesses press for accountability on spoiled ballots after contested Raleigh recount

Randolph officials, residents ask Legislature to permit Haitian Creole bilingual ballots

Senator Rausch pushes broad elections infrastructure upgrades to ease municipal burden